The Many Stages of Love
by Hard-headed-woman
Summary: When he first met him, Tony had no idea what he was feeling, all he knew was the he wanted the him, and what Tony Stark wants... he gets. SLASH! T/Co Tony/Coulson.
1. Chapter 1

The first time they had met did not go down the way the billionaire would have hoped.

It was another fundraiser for some charity that he honestly didn't know the name of, but knew did wonderful work if they had the Stark money backing them. The higher ups from the company and many other fat, rich bores littered the impressive Disney theatre, and as he made his way towards the entrance, he smiled and waved to the cameras as was expected.

"Tony?"

Glancing up from where he had just been admiring a curvy brunette with legs that went forever, Tony caught sight of his Father in everything but blood, and grinned widely. "Obie!" he cried, holding his hand out in greeting as he walked towards the ageing man.

Shaking the hand and patting the younger man on the back, Obadiah couldn't shake the quizzical look on his face as he stared down at the boy he had seen grow into the man that stood before him today. "I didn't think that you were coming."

Shrugging, Tony smiled for another camera before making his way up the red carpeted stairs. "I didn't know it was on," he confessed. "But I'm here now, so let's get this show on the road."

Knowing that he had no choice, Obadiah nodded sharply, before following the brunette up the stairs and into the glowing Ballroom. Talking to all the right people and smiling at everyone else, Tony quickly lost track of the older man, but found that the mask was easier to keep up, and so left well enough alone. Deciding that it was time for another refill, the engineer made his way over to the bar, and mentally grinned in amusement as the crowd before him parted like the Red Sea.

The perks of being him were just awesome.

Leaning up against the bar, Tony ran his fingers lightly over his suit to remove imaginary wrinkles as he placed his order and waited for it to be filled.

"Excuse me, Mr Stark?"

Whirling around at the sound of his name, Tony plastered a fake smile to greet whoever it was behind him, and felt it melt right off his face. The man was plain; there was no other word for it. He wore a standard haircut, with a standard suit, and stood in a standard posture. There was nothing there to catch the billionaire's attention. But then he caught sight of his eyes.

His bright blue eyes that screamed of danger and adventure.

Of a secret world filled with things beyond the genius' wildest imaginations.

Of a world that only this man had the keys to, and Tony wanted badly.

Swallowing thickly, Tony lost himself in the swirling pool in front of him, and cared not that nearly everyone in the vicinity could see him acting so out of character. Shuffling awkwardly, the blue-eyed man tilted his head slightly, and smiled in a way that made the brunette feel weak at the knees.

"Mr Stark?"

The sound of his name rolling off the man's tongue was like drop of water in a scorching desert; and Tony wanted more. Mentally slapping himself out of the doppy love-struck setting his mind seemed to have jammed itself into, the brunette straightened his posture and grinned charmingly. "I seem to find myself at a disadvantage," he quipped, his eyes sparkling in the light as he gazed upon the slightly taller man. "You know my name, but I am at a loss for yours."

Noticing the left corner of blue-eye's mouth twitch upward, Tony felt like whooping in delight. "My name is Agent Coulson," the man replied, his face warm and full of character as he stared down at the billionaire. "I work for the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division-"

"Wow, that's a mouthful," Tony blurted out, grinning wider when he received another twitch of the lip in reply.

"We're working on it," Coulson informed, clutching the file in his hands a little tighter. "I need to debrief you about your time in Afghanistan."

The warm, tingly feeling the brunette had been feeling as he gazed upon the Agent died a rather dramatic death within his chest as his most recent trip overseas squeezed its way into the conversation. Taking a rather large gulp from the drink he had previously been ignoring, Tony for the first time since landing eyes on the man, turned his attention to the rest of the people in the room, and shrugged non-Chantilly. "It really wasn't much," he muttered, forcing his snarky mask back up as he did so. "Just a lot of sand and rocks, not much to really talk about."

The twinkle in the agent's eyes dimmed slightly as the mask was screwed back into place, and if the self-depreciating voice in the back of Tony's head sniggered with glee, the billionaire would never say.

"I still need to go over it," Coulson insisted, his hands clenched on the file so tightly the the brunette was surprised there wasn't tears all over it yet. "It's very important."

Glancing back into the dazzling blue oceans the man had forced to be his eyes, Tony felt his mask crack slightly, before nodding. He needed to get out of there quickly. Searching the crowd for a familiar face, the brunette could have almost cried out in relief, when the vision of Pepper Potts wearing a scandalous outfit caught his attention. Turning back to the Agent, Tony grinned brightly. "No worries, I'm just going to go over to my assistant, and we're going to work out a time."

Both knowing that the billionaire was not going to do that at all, Tony waited for Coulson to admit defeat and nod in agreement, before shuffling past and making his way over to the red head.

And as they sat on the roof, talking of things of no consequence, Tony couldn't help but think back to the plain suited man, and his plain suited face, that had somehow rattled his entire world with a quirk of his lips and shimmer of his eyes.

It would not be until much later, that he would realise the significance of their meeting, and just what the tingling sensation in his chest was; but he did know what he wanted, and that was one Agent Coulson from a ridiculously long named government agency...

...and what Anthony Stark wants, he gets.


	2. Chapter 2

"Anthony Stark, I swear, if you don't stop squirming-"

Glaring up at the red head applying foundation to the beautiful shiner he was currently sporting, Tony flinched again as the as the piece of foam made contact with a scratch that had yet to fully seel over. "Well if you were a bit more careful, I wouldn't be flinching so much," he sniped back, hoping that that would be enough to make the vibrantly red claws retract.

Throwing her hands up in defeat, Pepper grabbed the assortment of facial creams and foundations off the table beside them;, and began to put them back in her purse for the next time her boss needed to cover a wound or black eye. "It's your own fault that it was needed," she huffed, chucking the last bottle in with a little more force than what was required. "If you hadn't gone off and made that ridiculous suit-"

"-then a lot of people would be dead right now, including you and me."

Standing from the plush leather chair, the billionaire made his way over to the mirror and took in his appearance. The black eye he had received after hitting the side of the helmet was still visible if he tilted his head the wrong way, but the rest of the scratches and bruises were fairly well taken care of. Maybe he should give Pepper that raise early...

"Excuse me, Mr Stark?"

It had been two months since the Gala at the Disney Theatre, and even though he had yet to see the man since, the billionaire knew instantly who was standing at the door. Spinning around on the back of his heel, Tony let his gaze fall upon the Agent with the amazing blue eyes, and grinned widely. He was just as the brunette remembered, standing ramrod straight with a plain suit and a quirk of the lips.

"Agent."

Stepping away from the closed door, Coulson made his way across the room, and stopped in front of the Pepper, which for some strange reason did not sit well in the billionaire's mind at all.

"It's nice to see that your well, Miss Potts," the Agent smiled, extending his hand in greeting.

Taking the offered hand, Pepper smiled warmly. "All thanks to you. Oh, Mr Stark, this is Agent Coulson from the Strategic Home-"

"Just call us SHIELD."

The faint shades of red sprinkled the red heads face as she nodded in acceptance and stepped aside so the two men could clearly see each other. The room fell into an awkward silence, and as bright blue stared amusingly at chocolate brown, the genius decided that maybe the silence wasn't really that bad. Not sure what to make of the sudden situation she found herself in, Pepper decided to file it away for later, and coughed politely. "The conference starts in three minutes, Mr Stark."

Snapping out of the daydream he seemed to have stumbled into, Tony jerked his head to face his personal assistant, and nodded sharply. "Could you inform the media that there will be a slight delay, the Agent and I need to speak privately for a moment."

Grinding her teeth together, Pepper forced her face into a very strained smile, and made her way towards the door. Reaching for the handle, the red head paused for a second, before turning around and facing her boss. "Don't take too long, Tony."

Not bothering to reply, the brunette waited until the woman had left the room and the sounds of her killer heels clip-clopping away could no longer be heard. "I thought that you needed to debrief me?" He quipped, turning his attention to the crystal decanter behind him. "You never came around. I was starting to think that you didn't like me."

Smiling a little wider at the man's words, Coulson took it as an invitation to move further into the room; stopping only when he was a few feet away from the eccentric genius. "I was busy," he shrugged. "And you never made the meeting with your PA. I had one scheduled for last night, but-"

"I was a little otherwise occupied." Placing the lid back on the decanter, Tony picked up his glass and turned back around to face the other man. Noticing the closeness of the Agent, the billionaire raised an eyebrow, but said nothing; instead opting to take a rather large gulp of his scotch. Maybe if he had enough of the intestine killer, he could drown out the butterflies that had taken residence in his stomach.

Watching the brunette with an intensity that Tony had not felt in a very long time, Coulson waited for the man to finish his mouthful, before striking up conversation once more. "I have your speech here," he motioned, pulling out a small stack of palm cards from his pocket as he did so. "Your cover is that the Iron Monger was a prototype being maned by a disgruntled ex-employee, and the Iron Man is your personal bodyguard. You were not there at the time; you were at home watching the entire thing on the news."

Unconsciously reaching out to take the cards, chocolate brown eyes widened as his fingers brushed over the Agent's, causing a shot of electricity to race up his arm and into his chest. If the other man felt anything, he did not show it, so filing it away for later, the brunette nodded in thanks as he retreated his hand; the cards held firmly within its grasp. "What about Obadiah?" he chocked out, lowering his gaze so that he didn't have to face the burning blue eyes any longer than necessary.

"Our resources say that he is currently in a private plane, on his way to somewhere remote for a holiday," Coulson muttered, the small smile on his face refusing to budge. "And we all know how accident prone light aircrafts can be."

Nodding again as if on automatic, Tony tossed back the last of his glass. The glass in his hand felt wet under his grasp, and if it wasn't for the fact that it had been a warm drink with no ice, he would have sworn that it was merely perspiration; but as he noticed that his other hand felt just as wet, he realised with almost startling clarity that the foreign liquid was actually sweat.

"Mr Stark?"

Glancing back up at the Agent, Tony registered the thinly veiled worry on the man's face. Shaking his head as if to shake off a bad cold, the brunette was startled when a rather warm hand landed on his shoulder, causing the hairs to raise all along his arms and neck.

Tilting his head slightly in such a way that reminded the billionaire of a puppy, Coulson took a step closer, giving the brunette no way to focus on anything else. "Are you alright, Mr Stark? You're not looking the best. Perhaps we should take you to the hospital, there is a good chance that you received a concussion last night, and since you didn't go to the medics as ordered-"

Shaking his head again, the billionaire stared up at the deep blue orbs, and felt his entire frame of mind shift. _"You are a renowned playboy,"_ his mind sneered, disgusted at the way he was falling apart at the seams over some average person with absolutely nothing truly remarkable about him. _"You have slept with over half of the California's population, and yet you're acting like a simpering girl getting asked to the dance by the high school jock. Man up and just bang him already, then we can go home and work on the suit some more."_

_"But maybe I don't want to just screw him,"_ the more reasonable side of his brain that he rarely if ever listened to, piped up. _"Maybe I want to actually get to know him. Find out who he really is and if he can really live up to all the promises he made when I first saw him. And when that's all done, show him off in such a way that no-one else will ever be able to lay claim to him again."_

"-eally spacing out," Coulson's voice floated back into his attention as the battle of the wills raged on inside his mind. "I'm going to tell Pepper to cancel the meeting, then take you to the hospital."

Dropping the glass that had somehow remained in his hand all this time, Tony reached out for the retreating Agent, and dug his fingers into the bland, dark coloured suit as much as he possibly could. Glancing back at the billionaire, Coulson said nothing, but the question was clear in his eyes. Stepping forward, chocolate brown eyes gazed up at swirling blue, and asked for permission. Leaning forward in answer, Tony felt Coulson's breath hitch against his skin, as he inched closer. Their lips only a hair's breath away-

"Tony, they're starting to get frustrated."

Jumping apart, the pair refused to look at each other or the woman standing at the door, as deep blush made the collars around their neck incredibly uncomfortable. Not sure what she had just interrupted, but at the same time knowing that it was better to just not ask, Pepper held open the door and motioned for the billionaire. "It's been nearly half an hour," she stated, her hold on the door knob not letting up. "And I know traffic can be bad, but this is just ridiculous."

Swallowing rather loudly, Tony ran a hand over his suit more out of nervousness than to remove any creases. Stepping forward, the brunette had forced his mask on once more, but noticed that it didn't feel as natural as usual.

"Don't forget the cards, Mr Stark."

Glancing back at the Agent standing in the middle of the room, looking for all intents and purposes that he had not just been attacked by an incredibly horny and confused billionaire, Tony nodded again and made his way out of the room. Time to do what he did best.

* * *

"You want the truth? The truth is..."

The cards in his palm felt heavy as he stared down at the words, the lies fabricated to make him seem like a normal person. Glancing out into the sea of microphones and cameras, the brunette caught sight of the one thing he wanted to see, and felt his lips twitch. If he told this lie, than would he tell the truth the next time? Or would he just play the role that the world had forced upon him and read the script as expected. He was so tired of hiding behind a mask, of doing what was expected of him, only because it was expected of him, and not because he wanted to do it.

Keeping his eyes solely on the plain looking Agent with such extraordinary blue eyes, the brunette was surprised when in that one second, the man nodded once, as if able to read the billionaire's mind. Feeling the corner's of his lips pull even harder, Tony turned back to the rest of the crowd, and grinned impishly.

"I am Iron Man."


	3. Chapter 3

The startling revelation that he was slowly dying was perhaps not as startling as it should have been to the world renowned genius. It was depressing on all accounts, and he honestly felt that he still had so much more to give and to do, but as he stared up at the results hovering in midair, he knew that his time was coming to a close, and that the last year was really just the universe giving him more time to put his affairs in order before the cold clutches of death snagged his soul and dragged it from this world.

Wiping away the information displayed on the screen, Tony opened up the latest folder in his personal server, and flipped through the designs for his latest project. "Jarvis, do you have the measurements?"

"Yes Sir. The time required to complete this model will be approximately fourteen hours."

Closing the folder, Tony glanced up at a hidden camera and smiled gratefully. Of all the people the billionaire had come to know over the years, Jarvis was one of the very few that he would truly miss when his time was up. He knew that Pepper would take care of him, and if not, the failsafe would wipe the systems of every file connected to the AI and his personal folders; rendering all his software and suits useless. But the thought of leaving his greatest creation and closest friend was one that left a rather bitter taste in the engineer's mouth.

Opening another file to double check that the plans for the company were being set into motion, Tony glanced over the paperwork one last time, before closing up the files and closing down the screen. "Did you find that address I asked you about?" he called out, closing up his lab as he did so.

"Yes Sir, the location has been downloaded onto your GPS. Would you like for me to ready the Mark IV?"

Patting the trios' arms as he walked past, Tony shook his head. "I'll take the Lexius, don't wait up for me."

Grabbing the keys off the hook as he sauntered past, Tony jumped into his beautiful, two-seater baby and slipped on his seatbelt. He had an Agent to find.

* * *

Coulson was bored.

Full on, mind numbingly bored.

The last mission had not been the best that they could have hoped for, and despite having only walked away with some bumps and bruises, the SHIELD Agent had been ordered to disappear for three weeks, and not dare show his face at Headquarters lest he wanted a new hole to breathe from. So with nothing better to do, the light brunette had locked himself inside and used the time to catch up on missing paperwork and reruns of Super Nanny.

Glancing down into his desolate fridge and barren cupboards, Phil was just about to muse over the possibility of actually going out and shopping, when the sound of his doorbell pulled him from his trance. Unconsciously palming the handle of his standard issue pistol, Phil made his way into the lounge room and steadily asked through the door. "Who is it?"

"Your favourite Billionaire, who else would it be?"

The voice was muffled through the door, but Coulson could tell who it was. Rolling his eyes at the man's cockiness, the Agent let go of his beloved gun, and opened the door so he could see the idiot on the other side.

Glancing up at the sound of the hinges creaking, Tony plastered on his infamous grin, and held up the box in his hands. "There's my favourite super secret spy," he beamed, pushing his way past. "I hope you like pepperoni, not that it really matters, 'cause there's this pizzeria down the road and if you didn't like it before, then you're going to love it now."

Still standing beside the open door, Coulson watched as the brunette brushed his way into his apartment, and set about making himself at home in his living room. Placing the box and six pack down on the coffee table, Tony flipped open the lid and breathed in the spicy aroma. He really wasn't kidding about the pizza, just the sauce Mama Juliana used was to die for. Glancing up at the silent Agent, Tony quirked an eyebrow as he picked up a thick slice and stuffed it into his mouth. "Are you going to stand there all day, or are you going to close the door and eat some awesome pizza with me?"

Not sure what was going on, but not wanting to look anymore like the idiot he did right now, Phil closed the door with a satisfying thunk and made his way back into the living room. Standing just inside the room, the Agent lent against the doorframe that led to the kitchen and folded his arms across his chest.

"Is there a reason that you're here Stark, or did you just decide to break into SHIELD security and find my address for the fun of it?"

Glancing up at the slightly older man, Tony felt the tension in the air and decided that he didn't like it one bit. Placing his slice back down, the brunette swiped his hands across his jeans to remove any crumbs before patting the spot beside him in invitation.

"You know, I have this peeve about people standing when I'm sitting, and I'd rather we did this in a bit more comfortable setting."

Not making any move, Phil almost felt like smiling when the billionaire rolled his eyes and groaned loudly.

"I'm not going to attack you Agent. And even if I did, I highly doubt that I would land even a scratch before you had me on the floor paralysed."

Lifting his shoulders as if to agree, Coulson decided that the man was correct in his assumption and slowly made his way over to the couch. Not taking his eyes off the now smirking brunette, Phil perched himself on the very edge of his seat and sighed deeply. "Why are you here Mr Stark?"

"Tony."

Freezing, Phil glanced back up at the man beside him and raised an eyebrow. "Pardon?"

"My name is Tony." Not looking at the sharp blue eyes pinning him down, Tony shrugged non-Chantilly as he picked a piece of pepperoni off his slice. "I figured that we're past that stupid formal stage now that you know, I saved your life and all that-"

Coulson gaped. "You saved my life?"

"Well, yeah, that's kinda how I remember it going down, what with me swooping in and saving you and your little tea party as they ran around like chickens with their heads cut off."

Glancing up from his hands, Tony snorted loudly as he took in the sight of a rather befuddled looking Agent Coulson.

Feeling his brain reboot from the overload that is Tony Stark, Phil went back over what the brunette had said, and frowned deeply. "If I remember correctly, Mr Stark," Phil huffed, putting extra emphases on the man's title. "We had the situation under control, and would have defused the problem with much less damage than what you and your- brightly decorated tin can- managed to do."

Catching an almost non-existent glimmer of amusement in the Agent's eye, Tony put a hand over his heart in exaggeration. "That cut deep Agent," he gasped, rolling himself off the couch and into a standing position. "That cut real deep. I thought of all men in black's out there, you would be the one to truly appreciate a work of art. Clearly I was wrong."

"No," Phil disagreed, the corners of his lips twitching involuntary. "You were right in the fact that I can appreciate a piece of fine art; it is that you assume your suit to be a piece of art that you are incorrect."

Chuckling lightly at the jab, Tony made his way over to one of the few shelves in the room, and fingered through the decent collection of vinyl records. "I never would have picked you for a record man, Agent. Mind you, I probably never would have picked you for a music person period."

Sensing that the billionaire wasn't going to leave any time soon, and that his stomach was still begging for food, Phil grabbed a piece of pizza from the box before settling into his spot on the couch.

"I enjoy the rawness that only vinyls can produce," he shrugged, taking a bite from the slice. Stark was right, it was good.

"Oh no, I agree with you there," Tony muttered, his eyebrows rising and falling with each new band he uncovered. "In fact, I have this collection sitting in the basement that I pull out every now and the- Is this really what I think it is?"

Glancing up at the sleeve Stark held out for him to see, Coulson swallowed his mouthful and nodded. "Paris Live, I have the rest of their stuff in there, but this was the only one I could find before they became Poison and Deville showed up."

Feeling his eyebrows met his hairline, Tony grinned broadly. "I have 'Look What the Cat Dragged In', but that's as early as I could ever find. What else have you got? And since when were super secret agents allowed to have such awesome taste in music?"

Throwing down the crust to meet Tony's half eaten slice, Phil got to his feet and made his way over to the smiling lunatic. "Believe it or not Stark, but we do have lives outside of the job. Mine just happens to include music that does not come from this decade."

Not believing the man for one second, Tony turned back to the collection and slowly with the help of Phil, made his way through each record and band that it held. As the time wore on Coulson went and dragged out another three crates full of even more records; and not much longer after that, the pair were sitting on the floor with empty cans rolling around them as they yelled over the soothing vocals of David Lee Roth about who was better; Rolling Stones or Beatles.

And as the night dwindled down into the first rays of light, the pair finally fell into a lull, simply letting the soft melodies of Def Leppard wash over them as they lay on the floor side by side.

* * *

*****For anyone here that is unfortunately not familiar with the awesomeness that is the 70-80's rock scene, here's a few notes: before they hit big, Poison was called Paris, and during a tour to Calli, they picked up guitarist C.C. Deville. Look What The Cat Dragged In was their first album released with Enigma Records in 1986. David Lee Roth is the Lead Singer of Van Halen, and no matter what anyone says, that band is still happy and together in my mind, rocking out to Panama and Yankee Rose. The other three should be pretty well known, but they are similar bands from around the same time period.**


End file.
